Probably the most important factor to consider once you’ve got the perfect herb grinder is to figure out how to make it last as long as possible. The key to keeping an herb grinder in tip top shape really comes down to regular cleanings.

If you use your grinder on a regular basis like we do, then you know that over time kief and residue can gunk up your grinder in its teeth and grooves. Getting this material off your grinder will get it back to running like new.

Once You Get Your Grinder, Clean It

When you get your metal herb grinder the first thing you are going to want to do is clean it. This is because the grinder can have some dirt and metal pieces left over from the manufacturing process and you do not want to smoke this stuff!

To initially clean your grinder unscrew each piece and set each piece out over a paper towel. Shake out each piece of the grinder to get any loose metal shavings out. After shaking, use rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol) and a Q-tip to get in between the teeth and screw grooves.

After cleaning with the Q-tip and rubbing alcohol rinse in warm water and allow the grinder to air dry.

Cleaning the Grinder After Use

Over time your grinder will collect residue and gunk from herb, which will cause your grinder to get stuck, squeak, and ultimately not work as well as it did when you first got it. At this point it is time to give your herb grinder a quality cleaning so you can bring it back to grinding like new.

Step 1:

Take apart your grinder and place each piece into a freezer safe container, place the bag into the freezer, and wait for an hour.

Step 2:

Take out the bag with your grinder inside out of the freezer and place each piece over a cookie sheet. Tap each grinder piece to knock loose the frozen residue and kief onto the cookie sheet.

Step 3:

Use a toothbrush to brush out the residue on to the cookie sheet so that you can save the sweet kief for your next joint.

Step 4:

You have a couple options with step 4. You can either wash the grinder under warm water with soap, or you can soak the grinder in rubbing alcohol for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how thorough of a clean you want.

Summary

There you have it. Following our simple four step directions you can get your grinder clean any time. This will go a long way to preserving your grinder and keeping it in working order for years to come. Please remember that while cleaning your grinder is important, it is just as important to make sure to buy a quality grinder with top of line materials to begin with. Cleaning a subpar grinder might help, but it will not solve the main issue of having a crappy grinder. Hope this guide helps, if you have questions let us know in the comments!